Lemar Obika has warned people to protect their ears after he confirmed he developed tinnitus.
The singer-songwriter appeared on Wednesday morning’s instalment of Good Morning Britain and described the sensation, which involves hearing a ringing or buzzing in your ear sound, which comes from inside your body.
The Another Day hitmaker sat down with Susanna Reid and Ed Balls in the ITV studio to announce his new single, when Ed brought up the condition and asked how he manages it as a musician.
Lemar said: “One thing I will say is, if you can, protect your ears at all costs. It’s something I didn't know about until, obviously, it happened.”
He then recalled: “I remember being in a room one day, everyone had gone to sleep, the TV was off and I just thought, ‘What’s that sound?’”
Lemar, who hit the big time after he starred in BBC hit show Fame Academy in 2003, said he developed tinnitus around the point in between his third and fourth studio albums.
He said loud music while on tour was the likely culprit, explaining: “You’ve got the in-ears in, you’re near loud speakers all the time and you’re just in a noisy environment."
He then warned: “So I think everyone out there just needs to protect their ears in general, because it’s a sound that never goes away."
Susanna then asked: “But you’re still making music?” to which he replied: “You have to. That’s my lifeline.”
Since coming third in Fame Academy, Lemar has created a career as a singer, producer and recording artist – and said he would be open to the show coming back as a reboot.
He recalled: “It was a school environment. You had to learn songs, rehearse everyday and they showed that journey of the students. If it came back, why not?”
Susanna asked if he would ever consider being a judge on the programme, to which he was instantly enthusiastic, saying: “Call me up. Let’s go. Let’s do it.”
The 44-year-old has released several hit singles since appearing on TV and shares two children with partner Charmaine Powell, who he has been with for more than 20 years after marrying in 2010.
Lemar hit screens as part of the 2018 lineup for Dancing on Ice, when he was partnered with French skater Melody Le Moal and replaced English cricketer Monty Panesar after the international sportsman was forced to withdraw from the show due to an injury in training.
